On Sunday, March 1, 2020, the Australian Federal Imams Council (ANIC), an extended wing of the Muslim Brotherhood held its 13th General Assembly meeting at the Imams Of-fice in the state of Victoria – Melbourne. The meeting, chaired by the Council’s President, Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman, was attended by Chairmen and members of the respective Councils of Imams from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, ACT and Member Imams from Northern Territory.

The most interesting aspect of the meeting was the announcement of the joining of Hala Amira, from the state of Victoria, as the new member of the council. Ms. Amira is the first female member of the organization. At the conference, Mr. Alsuleiman also announced the establishment of the National Women’s Advisory Council under the management of the Australian Federal Imams, which would take care of Australian Muslim women. On the surface level, it looks all fine rather a feminist turn of events among Imams’ council but if looked deeply, it is a dangerous move.

ANIC, established in 2006, comprises 250 imams and is responsible for the publication of fatwas. The organization’s head, Mr. Alsuleiman, is the same person who back in 2015 was one of the signatories of the controversial statement which promoted domestic violence. The sensational story titled ‘It’s OK for Muslim men to hit their wives’ was carried by The Australian. Mr. Alsuleiman who once favors such a treatment to women is today making them the face of their organization and messenger of Islam. But why?

The council is under the management of the Brotherhood’s Grand Mufti, Ibrahim Abu Muhammad. It has adopted similar tactics as its parent organization, using women as a propaganda tool, as the organization is well aware of the fact that in modern times communication strategy and information is the strongest warfare. Hence, ANIC and MB are strategically appointing more and more women for both at ground level and for leadership roles.

The key agenda of the 13th General Assembly conference was to devise a plan to attract more women toward their organization, as the new strategy makes them an essential component of social mobility. It would help the organization to easily target and exploit institutions that work towards women’s issues. The council formulated the strategy to psychologically change the way people perceive their organization by presenting women as a model concerned with Muslim issues in all its social groups. The entire campaign involves not only changing their global image but brainwashing women and making them practice the Jihadi propaganda in their daily life. After all these women members would eventually enter motherhood, and bring in the world a new generation of Brotherhood minds through their upbringing.

It’s interesting to see how they are using women in this psychological warfare, as recruiting and moving women are much easier than men, which enables the organization to communicate and spread Brotherhood ideology smoothly.